Tregear. — Polynesian Folk-lore. 380 



stick used for procuring fire. 1 ' The wisdom or "cunning" of 

 Prometheus was used for the good of men: he taught us to 

 build cities, to use letters, to tame for service the ox and 

 horse, to cull herbs for medicine, to navigate the sea, etc. : 

 as, on his pait, Maui proved himself a benefactor to his race 

 by lengthening the days, (in noosing and "slowing down" 

 the sun's too-rapid course,) in drawing up land from the ocean, 

 and in sacrificing himself to the Great Daughter of Night (Hine- 

 nui-te-Po) in the attempt to gain immortality for men. 



It is difficult to get at an accurate idea of the true parentage 

 of Maui, if we view the whole story, not as a solar myth, but as 

 a tradition concerning an actual personage, round about whom 

 the mists of mythology have collected. We have, in the tales 

 I have brought together in this paper, several different accounts 

 of his birth and parentage. In New Zealand, the most reliable 

 legends give Taranga as the mother, and Makeatutara as the 

 father. In Samoa, Ti'iti'i is the hero, and Talaga (Taranga) is 

 his father. In Mangaia, Eu was the father! and Buataranga 

 (Bu-a-taranga) the mother of Maui.' In Manihiki, Maui's 

 father is Manuahifare, and his mother Tongoifare. The Mar- 

 qnesan legend does not give the name of either parent. In the 

 Ulu genealogy of Hawaii, J which contains the names of many 

 of our New Zealand heroes, etc., we find Mahuika, the fire- 

 goddess (as Hina-mahuia), falls into her proper place as Maui's 

 grandmother, being in the twentieth generation (so-called) from 

 Wakea (Vatea, Atea, "Daylight") and Papa, ("the Earth,") 

 the primal pair. Mahuika's son is called Akalana, (A-Taranga, 

 or Ka-Taranga,) and his wife is Hinakawea, their son being 

 Mauiakalana, (Maui-a-Taranga,) our Maui. In some islands 

 where Talanga or Taranga is neither father nor mother, it is he 

 himself who procures fire ; while the hero Ti 'iti 'i, of Samoa, in 

 New Zealand becomes only the top-knot (tikitiki) in which Maui's 

 mother wrapped the boy soon after his birth. I think it highly 

 probable that our version concerning Maui being so wrapped up 

 is a local addendum engrafted on the original story, as an effort 

 to explain etymology of an obscure term — a source of mythology 

 from which has flowed a constant current of legends ; this espe- 

 cially, as none other of the Polynesian accounts allude to it, so 

 far as I can find. Tiki is a venerable name in the Pacific. In 

 New Zealand, Tiki appears either as the Creator of man, or else 

 as himself the first man created by Tane ; and his carved 



* " Hid in a hollow cane the fount of fire 

 I privately conveyed, of every art 

 Productive, and the noblest gift to man.'" 



iEschylus. — " Prometheus Bound.' 



f In New Zealand, Eu is the earthquake-god. In Tahiti, Ru is the 

 brother of Hina, and is either Rupe or Maui himself. 



I Fornander, loc. cit., page 191. 



